Bsfl pupating

[tim's owner]

I have not found out how and when bsfl pupate?
What causes it?
And what can I do to pupate some?
My veiled isn't to found of them but I want to see if he likes the bsf fly's.

 

[MissLissa]

Just give them some room, feed them lots and keep them warm. Mine pupate in slightly higher than room temp with minimal problems as long as I keep the humidity around 60%. However, they do pupate faster between 29-30C. They eat like you cannot believe, though- so keep the food coming. One larva can eat 25-500mg of food a day! They like it pretty humid, too: 50-70%. I feed compost material: bananas, melon rinds, peppers, etc. They prefer wet, softish food (but not wet food; they get stuck in it and die). Mine prefer fruits and soft veggies to grain products, but this "wet" food in a warm wet environment is gonna get moldy if you feed too much! I just let mine pupate in the larvae bin and I get about a 70-80% eclosure rate, but there are more elaborate set ups that will increase success too closer to 100%. I just don't care enough to build the ramps etc required lol Depending on how much and what you are feeding, your temps and humidity it can take several weeks for the lavae to pupate and several more for them to eclose. As long as they are eating and moving, you're doing fine! When they are ready to pupate they turn dark, though, so don't think those ones are dead! If they are kinda hard and black they are mature or pupating larvae; if they are kinda squished looking and soft and black they are dead.

 

[tim's owner]

When they are ready to pupate they turn dark, though, so don't think those ones are dead! If they are kinda hard and black they are mature or pupating larvae; if they are kinda squished looking and soft and black they are dead.

Ya I have a lot of the hard black ones and I don't want to waste them.

 

[wodesorel]

If they are kinda hard and black they are mature or pupating larvae; if they are kinda squished looking and soft and black they are dead

Coming to my rescue again! I didn't know if the ones that weren't moving were dead or not. Now I do.

 

[bobcochran]

Put them in some fruits and/or vegetables, they grow really fast with fruit! Have the container you are feeding them in inside a screened cage so after they pupate and eventually become adult flies, you have them contained. The adult Black Soldier Fly are easily caught by hand from the sides of the screen cage.

 

[tim's owner]

Cool thanks.

 

[MissLissa]

Also, the adults don't have mouths. They are a little scary looking (I think they look like an elongated wasp dipped in black paint) but physically cannot bite you or your cham They also don't live very long, so feed them off quick!

 

[Matt Vanilla Gorilla]

When they get dark and stay dark and stop eating so much. You can remove them from food and keep them moist and warm. They should turn to flies within a week or two. My chameleons love the flies!

 

[jajeanpierre]

Just make sure the substrate is moist enough or they won't develop wings properly. The hard part is feeding them without turning what you are keeping them in into a disgusting, smelly soup. I now put in a thick layer of coco fiber and like MissLissa, let them pupate in the same container as the larvae are kept in.

They are really slow moving and easy to catch when they become flies. If they escaped, I can usually catch them up unless they hide in the light canopies.

 

[tim's owner]

Cool thanks guys.

 

[romspiritor]

Just make sure the substrate is moist enough or they won't develop wings properly. The hard part is feeding them without turning what you are keeping them in into a disgusting, smelly soup. I now put in a thick layer of coco fiber and like MissLissa, let them pupate in the same container as the larvae are kept in.

They are really slow moving and easy to catch when they become flies. If they escaped, I can usually catch them up unless they hide in the light canopies.

Hi jajeanpierre,

I am just wondering how to keep them from smelling like hell? Will just a coco fibre do the trick? And how often and how do you clean the "soup" ?will it be possible to post a picture of the container? thanks!

R

 

[jajeanpierre]

I've managed to keep this kind of set up odor free. The coco fiber on the bottom that has to be kept moist enough. When they pupate, they like to bury themselves in the ground. You can see the kazillion empty shells on the top from when they hatched into flies. This is dried out and doesn't have anything alive in it. I need to clean it out and put my purchased larvae in it. I just put this kind of set up on a shelf over the chameleons and when I hear hatched flies banging around, I put them in the chameleon cages.